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<p> This study involved a mixed design to generate the perceptions of students and teachers about failing ninth-grade students and the impact of learning resources. The participants in this study were a purposive selection of ninth-grade students and ninth-grade teachers in one Missouri school district. The conceptual framework of this study was based on the premise that ninth-grade students who failed multiple classes also lacked learning resources. The learning resources were categorized into cultural and physical resources. To determine if learning resources had an impact on the ninth-grade students&rsquo; academic performance, the perceptions of the failing ninth-grade students were analyzed through a student survey and one-on-one interviews. In addition, ninth-grade teachers were surveyed, and their perceptions were included in the data analysis. The results of the data analysis indicated the students and teachers perceived the ninth-grade students had inadequate levels of family and friend support, lacked motivation and preparation for school, and made poor decisions that negatively impacted their academic performance. Furthermore, the perceptions of both students and teachers indicated the failing ninth-grade students did not lack physical resources. One significant aspect of this study was through the data collection process and the challenge of managing at-risk students. The students&rsquo; at-risk factors included attendance, discipline infractions, and course failure. These factors, along with irresponsibility, created barriers for the student participants and contributed to a 17.2% completion rate. </p>

<p> Extracurricular activities have been an important part of adolescents&rsquo; lives for generations (Kremer-Sadlik, Izquierdo, &amp; Fatigante, 2010). Extracurricular activities take place outside of the classroom and result in several benefits to students (National Federation of State High School Associations [NFHS], 2010). With the recent recession in the United States, many school districts are having to find ways to cut budgets and are looking at eliminating extracurricular activities to save money (Lamb, 2011). Data from graduating seniors were reviewed in the largest accredited public school district in a Midwestern state. Graduates are required to take a post-follow up survey upon graduating from high school (DESE, 2015). This study involved examination of what those graduates who participated in extracurricular activities while in high school did after graduating. Five high schools were examined within the school district. Each of the five high schools creates an eligibility roster of students who participate in extracurricular activities. The data were collected from the 2011, 2012, and 2013 graduating classes. Graduates who did and did not participate in extracurricular activities were compared, noting whether they went on to college or the military or the workforce. The data revealed more students who participated in extracurricular activities while in high school went on to college than did those students who did not participate.</p>

<p> According to the Nation&rsquo;s Report Card (2011), America&rsquo;s students are not proficient in writing. Because self-efficacy is a primary predictor of the actual outcomes, educational research (Zimmerman &amp; Bandura, 1994) has focused on means of developing beliefs of self-efficacy to increase outcomes (Bandura, 1997). </p><p> The purpose of this sequential mixed methods single case study was to explore grade 12 students&rsquo; perceptions of self-efficacy in terms of academic writing. This study also evaluated the effectiveness of the writing curriculum in increasing students&rsquo; self-efficacy with respect to writing and exploring students&rsquo; and teachers&rsquo; perceptions of the writing process and the Senior Project Research Paper curriculum and highlight necessary changes. </p><p> The primary research questions were: 1. What is the relationship of students&rsquo; self-efficacy with respect to academic writing competence and writing outcomes? 2. Are there gender differences in pre-test and post-test perceptions of self-efficacy in academic writing and writing outcomes? 3. What are students&rsquo; perceptions of the implementation process of the writing program? 4. What are students&rsquo; and teachers&rsquo; assessments and recommendations of the writing program? The framework for this research was based upon Stufflebeam&rsquo;s (2007) program evaluation model with emphasis on the implementation of the curriculum and outcomes. The instrument, administered to students (<i> N</i>=78), revealed a significant correlation between academic writing self-efficacy and outcomes. The results for pre-test Writing Process (<i> r</i>=.29, <i>r</i>²=.08, <i>p</i>=.010), Creativity (<i>r</i>=.30, <i>r</i>²=.09, <i> p</i>=.008), and Time-Management (<i>r</i>=.29, <i>r</i>²=.08, <i>p</i>=.012) dimensions and the post-test Writing Process (<i>r</i>=.33, <i>r</i>²=.11, <i> p</i>=.003), Creativity (<i>r</i>=.31, <i>r</i>²=10, <i>p</i>=.006) and Time-Management (<i>r</i>=.41, <i> r</i>²=.17, <i>p</i>&lt;.001) dimensions were positively related to Actual Grade attainment. Student (<i>N</i>=14) focus group findings indicated that students&rsquo; self-efficacy is increased through constructive teacher feedback, incremental goals presented by the curriculum, and topic interest. Teacher (<i>N</i>=5) focus group findings revealed that teachers feel that students are unwilling to meaningfully engage in the writing process, that they wish they had more time to address student needs and provide feedback, and that they value the writing curriculum which promotes collegiality and standardized expectations within the department. </p><p> Results of this study will help educational leaders promote effective and meaningful writing instruction to foster student&rsquo; academic writing self-efficacy.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to create a grant proposal to fund the development of resource materials that could be used by foster parents, kinship caregivers, and child welfare workers to help the youth in their care graduate from high school and increase opportunities for higher education or vocational training. The emotional, social, and cognitive stages of adolescent development are complicated by the circumstances that caused separation from their parents and then additional challenges that arise from going to live with relatives or joining foster families. Resource materials are needed so that foster parents, kinship caregivers, and child welfare workers can help young people overcome the obstacles and be advocates for them to complete high school. This project describes a potential host organization, staffing, implementation steps, budget, and a potential funder. Actual funding and submission of this grant proposal were not requirements for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The intersection of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) with academic outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) high school students is the focal point of this study. A survey of the literature found depressed academic outcomes for LGBTQ students relative to their heterosexual peers, and a positive correlation between the presence of a GSA on campus and academic performance of LGBTQ students. Using an anonymous survey and focus group interviews with 12 youth who identified as LGBTQ or allied, and who were currently or recently enrolled in high school, this study inquired about GSA activities, campus interactions, supportive adults, personal empowerment, school safety, school belongingness, and academics. Participants related each of these topics to the presence of a GSA on their campus, to the extent they felt it was relevant. A two-stage coding process concluded that varying campus and societal climates, active/effective versus inactive/ineffective GSAs, and personal and corporate empowerment were major themes of participant responses. Participant responses indicated that GSAs might directly support the academic success of members through social acceptance and exposure to wider LGBTQ advocacy. Academic success of non-members is hypothesized as an indirect benefit, with GSAs understood as a background variable whose presence or absence is indicative of the likely status of other variables that directly impact student academic outcomes.</p>

<p> What experiences do college STEM majors report as being factors that encouraged them to pursue a STEM related major? Do experiences and influences in school such as labs, curriculum, and teachers make a difference? How do extracurricular impact a students&rsquo; desire to continue on in science after high school? Through this qualitative study I attempted to find some answers to the above questions. </p><p> Seven current college STEM majors were interviewed in a semi-structured format. Through the coding of the interview data several themes emerged which included the following: development of students&rsquo; interest, experiencing real science, academic inclination, and knowledge of careers in the STEM fields. These reported factors seemed to influence these students in one way or another in choosing to pursue a STEM career. It was found that all but one subject interviewed experienced hands-on science within a career related experience. They cited those experiences as their biggest influencers.</p>

<p>The purpose of this research was to provide evidence of the impact career and technical education courses have on students after graduation. Numbers of Career and Technical Education (CTE) completers have continually dropped at the participating schools for the past five years. Five categories of placement after graduation were studied including the following: college, employment, postsecondary vocational training, military, and no placement. Archival data were gathered from postgraduate surveys conducted by high schools as required by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Data were collected for graduates in 2011, 2012, and 2013 from four area high schools that provide CTE training to some students at their own high schools and send a portion of students to an area career center for additional offerings. A Pearson product-moment coefficient of correlation (Pearson r) was calculated, and t-tests were used to assess the data. The findings revealed large positive relationships between completers of CTE programs and placement in college, employment, or related locations, yet the results of the <i>t</i>-test indicated there was no significant difference (at <i>p</i> &lt; .05) between the placement for students who attended either a District or Area Career and Technical facility. This research may assist schools in presenting the benefits of CTE training to fifth- through tenth-grade students, provide ways for schools to better implement CTE programs, and to make the programs more accessible to future students. </p>

<p> Researchers have associated parent involvement in primary schools with the improvement of grades, attendance, and the decrease of negative social behaviors. Consequently, parent involvement has improved in many primary schools. However, in secondary schools, parent participation continues to be deficient, particularly among Latino and African American communities due to language barriers, low incomes, and lack of social networks. Research is needed on how parent participation affects student achievement in secondary schools with underserved populations. Social capital theory provided the conceptual framework to help determine if parent involvement could create parent-school relationships that would lead to improved student academic and behavioral outcomes in a predominantly minority urban charter high school. The quasi-experimental observational study used program data and pre and post archived student records provided over a 2-year period from a convenience sample of 83 continuously enrolled students. Epstein&rsquo;s framework was used to categorize types of parent involvement, which constituted the independent variables. T tests and chi-squared analyses were used to test the association between the independent variables and dependent variables. The study found a limited association between GPA and ELA grades and certain types of parent participation activities for students overall, but not for English Language Learners. Attendance was not found to be affected significantly and data were lacking on suspensions and expulsions. The results of this study informs administrators who seek to increase parent involvement in order to improve student achievement and decrease the drop-out rate in high schools serving at risk students.</p>